Augmented reality mashes together the Matrix run with the physicality of the traditional run. Noise, or simply an overwhelming firewall, can prevent a hacker from accessing a secure system from a safe distance. The good ol’ days of hackers hiding away from the action alone in the Matrix are over. To be successful, hackers may need to get personally involved in the run with their fellow shadowrunners. They must keep an eye on the happenings in meatspace and cyberspace, some- times seeing an overlay of both realities at once. This technique requires that the gamemaster keep close track of both scenarios and feed stimuli to the player in real-time. Here are a couple of tips for gamemasters to get the most out of this method into their games:
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Rolling Tests: Gamemasters should intersperse the hacker’s tests with those of the other players so as not to break up the gameplay between the two groups. During Combat Turns, characters are limited by their actions and the pacing of the scenario. A hacker has to monitor the Ma- trix while also making certain a security guard doesn’t pop a cap in her ass.•
Hacking During Combat: Make certain that the scenario includes areas that hacking can directly affect. If the team is squaring off against security and a call for reinforcements goes out, the hack- er may be able to delay the message or possi- bly reroute it. Hackers can seal entrances, jam monitoring equipment, open locks, and disrupt communications.•
Bricking: A hacker with enough skill can brick enemy gear, tap into their commlinks, and gen- erally make their lives miserable.JUXTAPOSITION
The Juxtaposition method is when the gamemas- ter flips back and forth between scenes that occur in meatspace and the Matrix. This technique requires a good deal of timing and improvising from the game- master to ensure that all of her players are interested in the flow of the story. Here are a couple of tips for gamemasters to introduce this method into her games:
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The Timer Method: This technique involves switching back and forth between the two sce- narios during a pre-determined interval of time. (We recommend that you set a ratio that favors the larger group of players. For example, if there are four players and only one of them is involved in the Matrix scenario, a gamemaster might rea- sonably set a time ratio of 3:1. Our brains are wired to react to pressure, and this simulates the excitement of a solid adventure. The gamemas- ter immediately switches to the other scene as>> DATA TRAILS <<
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soon as the buzzer sounds, even if it ends in the middle of an action. The action isn’t lost, but in- stead takes place immediately upon the scenar- io shifting back to the scene.
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Dramatic Pacing Montage: The pacing montage builds on the interplay between scenarios much like a director cuts a movie for the best dramatic pacing. The gamemaster follows the thread of a single scenario until it is dramatically appro- priate to switch. If the scenarios have been de- signed to mirror each other, the advancing story will keep the players’ interests even when the spotlight isn’t on their character.ORACLE
The Oracle method is when the hacker character is off- stage from the action and serving as a virtual scout helping the shadowrunners with security problems, locked doors, and harrying the opposition to keep the team on track. The problem with this method is that the hacker is often less at risk, reducing the tension of her
scenes. However, if the gamemaster prepares ahead of time, she can use these techniques to give the hack- er special attention without stealing too much of the spotlight from the other players. Here are a couple of tips for gamemasters to use this method in their games:
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Hitchcock Tension: The Hitchcock Tension method requires a bit of planning from the gamemaster and the players running the Matrix scenes. The gamemaster runs that scene ahead of time before the actual game. This way the hacker characters get the full attention of the gamemaster, but the rest of the game’s pacing doesn’t lag. The gamemaster keeps tracks of the beats of the Matrix scene and then allows the hacker character to interact with the meatspace game when appropriate. The potential down- side to this approach is that it requires more time on the part of the gamemaster and the person playing the hacker and may lead to lulls in the action while the hacker waits for his next opportunity to get on stage.>> DATA TRAILS <<
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Planning for Success: Often, the player of a hacker will feel overwhelmed with the sheer number of choices available to her. One meth- od to organize the scenario is to work with the player to develop a detailed list of what she in- tends to do and use this as the background of the scenario. The gamemaster should ask them to write down the steps of her hacking, starting with the grid she plans to access and then pro- gressing through the Matrix to the host. Once the steps for breaching the system have been mapped out, the gamemaster can review the plan and then ask for rolls only at the most dra- matic points. While the hacker is creating this plan, the gamemaster can work with the other players performing tasks in meatspace, such as legwork, surveillance, or gathering equipment.•
Shut Down All the Garbage Mashers on the Detention Level!: A gamemaster might feel that including Matrix scenes would overcom- plicate the scenario, and so decide to restrict the hacker role to an NPC (or there might not be any players with a hacker character). This character becomes a voice on the commlink that can help the shadowrunners when it is dra- matically appropriate—such as opening doors, unlocking data safes, and busting locks. Be careful not to allow the NPC to play hero at the expense of the players. But who knows? Per- haps if the hacker proves to be cool and useful, players will be tempted to try the archetype.MATRIX ACTIONS
AND COMBAT 101
Once you’ve mastered the basic concept of the Matrix and you’ve designed the scenarios, it’s time to put the- ory into practice. This section contains common appli- cations of frequently used Matrix actions, a few new Matrix actions to add to your decker’s arsenal, and an example of Matrix combat to help gamemasters get a sense for how things go. (For the complete rules about the Matrix, see p. 214, SR5, and the remainder of this book.)